


Safe

by GayApril16



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cuddling, Destiel - Freeform, Fluff, Implied start of Romantic Relationship, M/M, Nightmares, No Smut, One Shot, Sharing a Bed, human!Cas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:21:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23793034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayApril16/pseuds/GayApril16
Summary: Cas hasn't been able to get much rest since he lost his grace, as nightmares surface every time he tries to sleep. Worrying about his friend, Dean does what he can to help.
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester
Kudos: 102





	Safe

Cas jerked awake, his chest heaving and every part of his body tense. After a few panicked moments he forced himself to relax, burying his face in his pillow as he tried to steady his breathing. It didn’t work—the images from his nightmares flashed behind his eyelids, sharp and painful. He shoved himself out of bed and scrambled for the light, but as soon as his fingers hit the switch he yelped, screwing his eyes shut as he jerked away from the glare. Gradually, the pain faded, and Cas blinked at the not-yet-familiar layout of his new bedroom. He’d somehow managed to pull the blanket completely off the bed in his haste, and now it lay in a heap on the floor. 

Cas stared at it for a moment, then turned away, leaving the room. Barefoot and in pajamas, he padded down the hallway to the library, where he scanned the book titles for something, _anything_ that was interesting enough to distract him. 

“Cas?”

Cas jumped, whirling around only to breathe a sigh of relief. “Dean.”

Dean looked like he’d just gotten out of bed—which he most likely had—still in his pajamas and a t-shirt, his hair mussed every which way.

“Are you okay?” Dean asked, his voice full of concern.

Cas glanced back at the books, unsure of what to say. Eventually he settled for shaking his head.

Dean’s stance shifted to one that was more attentive, all signs of tiredness vanishing. He looked Cas over, then asked carefully, “Nightmares?”

Cas hesitated. He didn’t want Dean to baby him—a thought which melted away when Cas realized there was nothing but understanding on Dean’s face. Cas felt a rush of ironic gratitude. If there was anyone who understood nightmares, it was Dean Winchester.

“Yes,” Cas answered softly.

A sad sort of half-smile flickered across Dean’s face. “C’mon,” he said, nodding towards one of the hallways.

Puzzled, Cas followed him. They ended up in front of Sam’s bedroom, which wasn’t any more clarifying. 

Dean knocked on the door. “Sam?”

There was a muffled response that sounded vaguely questioning.

“You’re being evicted,” Dean called.

There was a pause, then a thud and muffled swearing. Finally, Sam opened the door. “ _What._ ” 

“We need your TV.” Dean’s voice was even, but when he looked back at Cas there was concern written all over his face. 

Sam’s gaze shifted from Dean to Cas, following his brother’s glance. His face softened. “Yeah, okay. Just—” he yawned, “—just don’t touch my stuff.”

“Yeah,” was Dean’s only response.

“Wait, Dean—” Cas started to protest, realizing that they were kicking Sam out of his own bedroom.

Sam cut him off. “Cas, it’s fine. I can just go to one of the empty bedrooms for tonight—or, however much is left of tonight. What time is it anyway?” he asked, turning to his brother.

“I dunno,” Dean said, scratching the back of his neck. “Four?”

Sam snorted. “Well, in that case, I’m gonna go do some research. You try to get some rest,” he said, directing the second statement at Cas.

Cas looked down, feeling heat creep into his cheeks.

“Thanks, Sammy,” Dean said, clapping his brother in the shoulder as he passed. Sam disappeared around the corner, and Dean led Cas inside. 

“What, exactly, are we doing?” Cas asked. Rubbing at one of his eyes with the heel of his hand. They were stinging, but every time Cas closed them another nightmare would appear. 

Carefully, Cas climbed onto the bed next to Dean, who was arranging the pillows to make a backrest.

“Numbing your mind with technology,” Dean said, picking up the remote. Cas settled in next to him as he started flicking through the channels. After a few moments Dean grunted his displeasure. “Yeah, there’s nothing good on this late—or, uh, early, I guess. Though I guess it doesn’t really matter what you watch.” Eventually he settled for what he called an “actually interesting animal show,” which seemed to be a nature documentary about whales and squids with a disproportionate amount of focus on territorial fights. 

They watched for quite a while, sitting side by side. At some point Sam brought in two mugs of warm milk—spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg—before disappearing again. Cas drank his quietly, sipping until it was gone. He set the mug aside just as a commercial break started. Curious, Cas looked back up at the screen—and froze, tensing. 

“Cas?” Dean asked. He glanced back at the screen, confused. 

Cas tore his eyes away from the TV, staring down at the mattress. It was just a commercial.

“Hey,” Dean said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “ _Cas_.”

Cas looked up at him. Dean’s brow was furrowed, his eyes sharp and worried.

“Cas,” Dean said, softer this time. “What is it?”

Cas shook his head. “Nothing. It—it’s stupid.”

“Not to me,” Dean said seriously. When Cas didn’t say anything, he prompted softly, “What’s wrong with Biggerson’s?” 

Cas took a shaky breath. “You know how all Biggerson’s are set up the same?”

“Yeah.”

“When I was . . . when I had the angel tablet, and Heaven was searching for me, I used that to my advantage. I moved from restaurant to restaurant to keep them off my trail.” Cas balled his fists, trying to stop his hands from shaking.

Silence fell until Dean seemed to put two and two together. “You were on the run. That’s what you have nightmares about?” Dean asked softly. “Running?”

Cas looked down. “It didn’t bother me before. I didn’t— _feel_ any of this . . .”

“Hey. Look at me,” Dean said. He reached out, gently grabbing Cas’ hands in his own. Cas looked up at him in surprise. 

“You aren’t running now,” Dean said, looking him in the eye. “You are _not_ in danger, or being hunted, or anything else. You’re safe here. You hear me?”

 _Safe_. The word echoed through Cas’ head, and he held onto it. Slowly, he exhaled. “I hear you.”

Dean studied him for a moment, then said, “Good.” He seemed to hesitate, then abruptly wrapped his arms around Cas, pulling him in for a hug. After a moment, Cas reciprocated. 

“I’m not gonna let anything happen to you,” Dean murmured in his ear.

Cas just hugged him tighter, closing his eyes as something unspoken passed between them.

Eventually they broke apart, returning their attention to the TV screen. They’d missed a bit of the show, but Cas didn’t really care. 

After a while Cas realized he was completely missing scenes, the time passing without his recollection of it doing so. He blinked, trying to clear the blur from his vision as he dimly realized that at some point he’d moved, and now his head was resting against Dean’s shoulder. If Dean had noticed he didn’t seem to care, so he stayed where he was.

Not long after, Cas fell asleep.

*****

_Running. Monsters chasing him through endless trees, hunting him. A shift; an endless string of restaurants, all identical, danger moving in. He’s on red-alert, always watching, never resting, then he makes a mistake and there’s pain—_

Cas jolted awake, his heart pounding—then paused. Dean was laying only a few inches away from him, his face half-buried in a pillow. Somebody had turned the TV off, and somehow, both of them had slid down to normal sleeping positions.

Cas took a deep, shaky breath as he studied Dean’s face. He’d watched Dean sleep many times before, but this time it was different—and not just because of proximity. This time, it actually affected Cas, because—because it meant he was _safe_. He didn’t have to run, he didn’t have to fight.

Dean was promising that.

Cas relaxed, closing his eyes as he burrowed his way closer to Dean under the blankets—then smiled as Dean reached out, pulling him the rest of the way in. Their foreheads pressed together, their breathing fell into sync. Cas sighed, feeling relieved and content, and sank into a peaceful rest.


End file.
